Types of EV charging

Electric vehicle (EV) charging in the UK is rapidly expanding, supported by both government initiatives and private sector investment. Here's a detailed overview of the current EV charging landscape in the UK as of 2025:

🔌 Types of EV Charging in the UK
Home Charging

  • Portable plug-in chargers: Typically 2kW - 3kW
  • Power: Typically 3.6 kW or 7 kW (single-phase supply).
  • Common Equipment: Portable chargers, Wallbox chargers EV charging cables
  • Grants: The EV Chargepoint Grant (for renters and flat owners) provides up to £350 off the cost of installation.

Public Charging

  • Slow (3–6 kW): Often free, found in car parks and on-street.
  • Fast (7–22 kW): Common in supermarkets, shopping centres, and workplaces.
  • Rapid (43–50 kW) and Ultra-Rapid (100–350 kW): Found at motorway service stations and key travel routes. These can charge 80% of a battery in ~20–40 minutes.

Workplace Charging

Government Support: The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) offers support for installation at business premises.

Useful for fleet charging or employee vehicles.

📍 Charging Network Operators
Some of the major charging networks in the UK include:

Pod Point

bp pulse

Instavolt

Gridserve

Tesla Supercharger (some now available to non-Tesla users)

Osprey

Shell Recharge

ZAP-Pay (aggregator for multiple providers)

Apps like Zap-Map, PlugShare, and Bonnet help EV drivers locate and navigate between chargers, check availability, and pay.

⚡ Charging Costs
Home Charging: Cheapest, approx. 7–30p/kWh depending on tariff. Off-peak tariffs (e.g., Octopus Go) offer low night rates.

Public Charging:

Fast chargers: 25–50p/kWh

Rapid/ultra-rapid chargers: 60–85p/kWh (may vary depending on provider)

Some supermarkets and workplaces offer free charging.

🏗️ Infrastructure Growth
As of mid-2025:

Over 60,000 public charge points across the UK.

Over 9,000 are rapid or ultra-rapid chargers.

The UK government aims for 300,000+ public chargers by 2030.

The Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate and ban on new petrol/diesel cars from 2035 (pushed from 2030) are driving growth.

📈 Government & Local Support
Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund: Helps councils build charge points in underserved areas.

Building Regulations: New homes and buildings must have EV charge points installed.